Nings



F. A. JENNINGS.

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MARYB, I919.

Patented July 29, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

F. A. JENNINGS.

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MA R.3.1919.

1 ,3 1 1,401 Patented July 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. A. JENNINGS.

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1919.

1 1 Lfil a Patented July 29, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

FRANCIS ALFRED JENNINGS, 0F HARROW, ENGLAND.

ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July as, rare.

. Application filed March 3, 1919. Serial No. 280,466.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, FRANCIS ALFRED JEN? NINGS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Greembank, Marlboro Hill, Harrow, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Rotary InterriaLCombustion Engine, of which the following is a full and exact description.

The invention relates to rotary internal combustion engines of the turbine or revolving vane type. in which the combustion chambers are set tangentially with respect to the vane wheel or to a circle somewhat smaller in diameter than the vane Wheel,

and has for its object to produce a simple engine which is light per horse power developed.

According to the present invention the combustion chambers receive their charges of explosive mixture under pressure and do not contain any compressing device such as a piston. The combustion chambers are formed with conical inner ends each leading into -a passage which is tangential to a circle somewhat smaller in diameter than the vane wheel and each passage is opened and closed by an outlet valve the stem of which passes axially through the combustion chamber. The outlet valve and the inlet valve in the side of the combustion chamber are each operated by a pivoted lever which receives motion at one end from a sliding rod. These two sliding rods receive motion from a cam and the cams are arranged around the main shaft on which is fixed a toothed wheel giving motion to a toothed wheel on each cam. In somecases half the number of cams are driven direct from the gear wheel on the main shaft and the intermediate cams, each having a toothed wheel, are driven from the toothed wheels on those cams which are driven directly from the shaft.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which, Fl'gure 1 is a.

section through the casing and combustion chambers and valves, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section, some of the combustion chamlbers being .removed. Fig. 3 is a view of some of the parts .showing a modification.

'lo the casing d are fixed a number of combustion chambers 0, corresponding with the number of inlet apertures (1 The combustion chambers are preferably circular in cross section at their outer ends and conical toward their inner ends at e, where each is provided with an outlet valve 7 the stem of which passes axially through said combustion chamber. Between the outlet valve 7, at the small end of thetruncated conical part e ,-andv the inlet 0?, to the casing at there is a passage e arranged tangentially to the periphery of the vane wheel or to a circle somewhat smaller than the vane wheel, as seen from the end of the casing. Hereinafter the expression tangential is intended to cover both these arrangements.

-The axes of the combustion chambers e are also preferably tangential to the casing d as seen in Fig. 1, and extend laterally from the casing 03 as seen in Fig. 2. Each combustion chamber 6 has an inlet valve e in its side for the explosive mixture, and a spark-- ing plug 9, or other igniting device.

To the axle 0 of the wheel 72 carrying the vanes a, is fixed a gear wheel 0 which meshes 'with an outer series of toothed wheels'on shafts fixed with respect to the casing d and combustion chambers e. The so called outer series of toothed wheels may be divided into two sets, an inner set a meshing directly with the center gear wheel 0 and an outer set 0 meshling with the inner set 0 The gearing may be so arranged that each combustion chamber 6 receives and consumes an explosive charge one or more times for each revolution of the engine. A very suitable arrangement is that two combustion chambers e consume charges simultaneously on diametrically opposite sides of the casing d, thereby balancing the pressure on the turbine wheel b.

0 0 correspond in number with the coinbustion chambers e, and each of these wheels 0 0 carries a cam h to operate the inlet and outlet valves e 7 of its own combustion chamber e. Each cam h or pair of cams acts upon two sliding rods *5, set at an.

angle to each other. Each shelling rod z rocks a lever 2' pivoted at its end i The center part of each lever 2' operates one of The inner and outer sets of toothed wheels the outlet valves f which is normally closed bustion chambers e from the carbureting chamber is under pressure throughthe pipes 10 p The inlet valves are rapidly opened and closed. When combustion commences to a take place the outlet valve 7 is closed but it is opened when a suitable pressure has been developed within the chamber 6 and the valve f remains open until the pressure has dropped to atmospheric pressure or that normally found in thecasing d during the working of the engine.

It will be understood that the turbine may revolve and the casing and combustion chambers may be fixed, or the vane wheel may be fixed and the casing and combustion chambers may revolve.

. What I claim s my invention is 1. An improved rotary internal combustion engine having in combination a casing, a vane wheel. w1thqn said. caslng, combustion I chambers with their axes arranged tangentially around said casing, conical inner ends to said combustion chambers, tangential passages leading from the conical ends into the combustion chamber, an inlet valve in ,each combustion chamber through which the explosive mixture is fed under pressure, an outlet valve in the conical end of each combustion chamber, pivoted levers for operating each valve, a sliding rodfor operatmg each lever, a gear wheel on the main shaft and cams for operating the sliding rods arranged around the mam shaft, and driven from the gear wheel on the main shaft substantially as set forth.

2. An improved rotary internal combustion engine having in combination a casing, a vane wheel within said casing, combustion chambers with their axes arranged tangentially around said casing, conical inner ends to saidcombustion chambers tangential passages leading from the conical ends into the combustion chamber, an inlet valve in each combustion chamber through which the explosive mixture is fed under pressure, an outlet valve in the conical end of each combustion chamber, pivoted levers for operating each valve, a sliding rod for operating each lever, a gear wheel on the main shaft, cams for operating the sliding rods arranged around the main shaft, a gear wheel on each. cam some of the gear wheels being driven directly by the gear wheel on the main'shaft and intermediate gear wheels being driven from the gear wheels, driven directly by the gear wheel on the main shaft substantially as set forth.

In testimony .whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANCIS ALFRED JENNINGS. 

